House of Commons Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee Putting Science and Engineering at the Heart of Government Policy Eighth Report of Session 2008–09 Volume II Oral and written evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 8 July 2009 HC 168-II Published on 23 July 2009 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £0.00 The Innovation, Universities, Science & Skills Committee The Innovation, Universities, Science & Skills Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Current membership Mr Phil Willis (Liberal Democrat, Harrogate and Knaresborough)(Chairman) Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods (Labour, City of Durham) Mr Tim Boswell (Conservative, Daventry) Mr Ian Cawsey (Labour, Brigg & Goole) Mrs Nadine Dorries (Conservative, Mid Bedfordshire) Dr Evan Harris (Liberal Democrat, Oxford West & Abingdon) Dr Brian Iddon (Labour, Bolton South East) Mr Gordon Marsden (Labour, Blackpool South) Dr Bob Spink (UK Independence Party, Castle Point) Ian Stewart (Labour, Eccles) Graham Stringer (Labour, Manchester, Blackley) Dr Desmond Turner (Labour, Brighton Kemptown) Mr Rob Wilson (Conservative, Reading East) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental Select Committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No.152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the Internet at www.parliament.uk/ius A list of reports from the Committee in this Parliament is included at the back of this volume. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are: Sarah Davies (Clerk); Glenn McKee (Second Clerk); Dr Christopher Tyler (Committee Specialist); Andrew Boyd (Senior Committee Assistant); Claire Cozens (Committee Assistant);Camilla Brace (Committee Assistant); Kerrie Hanley (Committee Assistant); Jim Hudson (Committee Support Assistant); and Becky Jones (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Innovation, Universities, Science & Skills Committee, Committee Office, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general inquiries is: 020 7219 2793; the Committee’s e-mail address is: [email protected]. Witnesses Monday 26 January 2009 Page Rt Hon Lord Drayson, a Member of the House of Lords, Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Mr Graeme Reid, Head of Economic Impact, Science & Research Group, and Mr Jeremy Clayton, Deputy Head, Government Office for Science, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. Ev 1 Wednesday 25 February 2009 Professor David Fisk, Imperial College London, Professor Lord John Krebs, a Member of the House of Lords, University of Oxford, Professor Julia King, Aston University, Professor Lord Martin Rees, a Member of the House of Lords, President of the Royal Society. Ev 10 Dr Tim Bradshaw, Confederation of British Industry, Professor Dame Janet Finch, Council for Science and Technology, Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve, a Member of the House of Lords, British Academy and Ms Judy Britton, Government Office for Science. Ev 18 Monday 16 March 2009 Professor Adrian Smith, Director General for Science and Research, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, Nick Dusic, Campaign for Science and Engineering, Professor David Edgerton, Imperial College London, and Professor David Charles, Regional Studies Association. Ev 28 Sir Roland Jackson, British Science Association, Professor Ian Haines, UK Deans of Science, and Tracey Brown, Sense about Science. Ev 36 Wednesday 1 April 2009 Professor Chris Gaskell, Chair, Defra Science Advisory Council, Dame Deirdre Hutton, Chair, Food Standards Agency, and Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, Former Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Ev 44 Monday 18 May 2009 Rt Hon Lord Drayson, a Member of the House of Lords, Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and Professor John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Adviser. Ev 55 List of written evidence Page 1 Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) Ev 66, 283, 291 2 Unite the Union Ev 75, 229 3 Prospect Ev 78 4 Natural History Museum Ev 81 5 Royal Aeronautical Society Ev 84, 233 6 UK Computing Research Committee (UKCRC) Ev 86, 231 7 Met Office Ev 87 8 Energy & Utility Skills Ev 89 9 AstraZeneca Ev 92 10 Geological Society of London Ev 95, 234 11 British Science Association Ev 97 12 CBI Ev 101 13 BRE Global Ev 104 14 Institute of Physics (IoP) Ev 108, 248 15 Concatenation Science Communication Ev 113 16 UK Deans of Science Ev 116, 273 17 Royal Statistical Society Ev 118 18 British Academy Ev 119, 240 19 Council for the Mathematical Sciences Ev 122 20 Academy of Social Sciences Ev 123 21 Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Ev 126 22 GeneWatch UK Ev 130, 267 23 Imperial College London Ev 136 24 Council for Science and Technology Ev 138, 227 25 Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Ev 143 26 John Innes Centre Ev 148 27 The Royal Society Ev 150, 277 28 SSC Science Cluster Ev 155 29 Semta Ev 158, 250 30 Research Councils UK (RCUK) Ev 161 31 Dr Paul Marchant, Leeds Metropolitan University Ev 168 32 SBAC Ev 169 33 Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) Ev 172, 266 34 Campaign for Science & Engineering (CaSE) Ev 176, 270 35 Board of the Regional Studies Association Ev 179 36 Biosciences Federation (BSF) Ev 182, 263 37 UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Ev 186 38 Academy of Medical Sciences Ev 192 39 Science Council Ev 196 40 Royal Academy of Engineering Ev 199, 275 41 BAE Systems Ev 203 42 Royal Society of Edinburgh Ev 207, 252 43 Universities UK Ev 214, 256 44 Royal Society of Chemistry Ev 216, 258 45 Wellcome Trust Ev 219 46 Sense About Science Ev 221 47 Food Standards Agency Ev 225 48 National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Ev 230 49 Finnmeccanica Ev 235 50 Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) Ev 236 51 Dr Martin Dominik Ev 238 52 Professor Peter Dobson, Director of Begbroke Science Park, Oxford University Ev 239 53 Natural Sciences Committee of the UK National Commission for UNESCO Ev 242 54 Medical Research Council Ev 244 55 Association of Research and Technology Organisations (AIRTO) Ev 246 56 John Innes Centre, the Institute of Food Research and the Sainsbury Laboratory Ev 247 57 University of Oxford Ev 251 58 BioIndustry Association Ev 255 59 Centre for Sustainable Urban and Regional Futures (SURF), University of Salford Ev 259 60 UK Space Ev 261 61 AMEC Ev 271 62 Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Ev 272 63 Dr Les Levidow Ev 278 64 Rt Hon John Denham MP, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills Ev 279 65 UK Drug Policy Commission (UKDPC) Ev 280 66 Science Media Centre Ev 289 67 Professor John Beddington, Government Chief Scientific Adviser Ev 293 Processed: 16-07-2009 20:30:53 Page Layout: COENEW [SO] PPSysB Job: 419983 Unit: PAG2 Innovation, Universities, Science & Skills Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the Innovation, Universities, Science & Skills Committee on Monday 26 January 2009 Members present: Mr Phil Willis, in the Chair Dr Ian Gibson Ian Stewart Dr Evan Harris Graham Stringer Mr Gordon Marsden Witnesses: Rt Hon Lord Drayson, a Member of the House of Lords, Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Dr Graeme Reid, Head of Economic Impact, Science & Research Group, and Mr Jeremy Clayton, Deputy Head, Government OYce for Science, gave evidence. Q1 Chairman: Could I welcome in particular this research, but to do that not just through my afternoon to this very first session of the new inquiry, responsibilities in my own department, but using the Putting Science and Engineering at the Heart of fact that I have been given the task of setting up this Government Policy, Lord Drayson of Kensington, brand new committee for science and innovation to the Minister for Science and Innovation at DIUS. make sure that science is put at the heart of Welcome to you, Minister. government policy. We have the second meeting of Lord Drayson: Thank you. the committee tomorrow, so we have had one meeting so far, but I would say that just from the initial feedback from that first meeting with my Q2 Chairman: Graeme Reid, the head of economic ministerial colleagues and other government impact of the Science & Research Group at DIUS, departments, there is a shared recognition across welcome to you again, Graeme, it is nice to see you government of the central importance of science, the in the new year; and Jeremy Clayton, another old importance of making sure that policy is based friend of the committee, the deputy head of the around good science, and the importance of Government OYce for Science at DIUS, welcome to ensuring that government departments have access you as well, Jeremy. Could I just say by way of to the necessary expertise, the R&D budgets to make introduction that this particular inquiry really sort sure that policies which they develop and implement of builds on, I think, three pieces of work which the are consistent with policies which are being committee and its predecessor have done. First of implemented in other parts of government, and to all, in terms of the engineering inquiry we have just make sure that it adds up to a coherent whole which virtually completed, we ran a small case study which positions the UK to capitalise on, I think, its brilliant was looking at engineering in government, and there track record in science, to make sure that that science were some very, very interesting comments brought is pulled through eVectively into wealth creation.